The foundation has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the burn unit at Children's Mercy Hospital. A treatment room there bears Dominic's name.

Dante Passantino hopes to expand the foundation's reach to get more involved in fire safety awareness and education.

"How to get out of the house. Have an escape route. Have a meeting place outside of your house to gather at. Know that you can't go back inside to get anything. All the things we have in life can be replaced except for lives," Dante Passantino said.

This spring, after years of work, an ordinance is now in effect requiring all fraternity and sorority houses in Columbia to have comprehensive fire-sprinkler systems.